The Hero Vs The Villain
by MissAtomicBomb00
Summary: Izuku Midoriya is in love with Shoto Todoroki. In fact, he's obsessed with him. He's cold, mysterious and handsome. He is one of the best hero's. He's perfect. The only problem is, Todoroki doesn't exist. He's a character in a Manga. But, what if he showed up one day? What if he were somehow real? – Based on Allision Van Diepen's book The Vampire Stalker
1. Chapter 1

Chapter One:

Midoriya's POV

Today was the day that I had waited almost over a year for. I was finally going to get my hand on a copy of _BNHA: Chapter Two,_ a Manga so hotly anticipated there had been a whole article online about it; it also had its own segment on TV last night.

I stood in the line outside the Musuatafu book store with my best friends, Uraraka and Ilda. We have been standing here since 7:45 a.m. – brutal for a Saturday morning, but so total worth it – wanting to get a good spot in line before the store actually opened at 9:00 a.m. The atmosphere was phenomenal. Besides all the screaming teenage girls, there were women in their twenties, mothers with their babies, a few grandmas and a handful of other teenage boys like myself.

Uraraka leaned away from the line and glanced ahead. "I wish they would let us in already! My feet are starting to hurt" She stumbled a little and grabbed a hold of Tenya's arm for support. Believing that her shortness was a curse, Uraraka had insisted on wearing the highest pair of wedges that she owned. The result was that she twisted an ankle at least twice a month.

"I just hope that by the time we do get the front they aren't sold out" I said

Uraraka's brown eyes widened. "Deku! They can't sell out, wait you did pre-order for us, didn't you?"

"Yeah, but I heard on the news last night that some of the shipments were delayed." I replied, feeling nervous as I spoke the words. The thought of having to wait another day to read about Shoto Todoroki – the gorgeous, fearless hero – was too awful to contemplate.

"I am getting a getting a book today, even if I have to body check someone to get it," Ilda announced.

We laughed, because Ilda would never hurt a fly – literally. When I had visited him at the camp where he worked over the summer, he'd ushered even the smallest bugs out the cabin door. However he was 5'10½ and the captain of the boy's running team, so a body check or two wasn't out of the question.

"All I know is, we have to read it by Monday morning," I said. Ilda and Uraraka nodded. If we didn't finish it by then, we would have to cover our ears in the spoiler-filled hallways of our school. There had only been one volume so far – _BNHA: Boku No Hero Academia –_ in Toshinori Yagi's planned arcs, but it was a sensation, and most people we knew had been sucked in.

I felt the cool breeze on my face, and looked around at the swaying trees, appreciating the crisp autumn weather. Some would say it was a waste of a beautiful day, because I planned to spend it inside my room reading _BNHA: Chapter Two._ But sometimes it was nice to read on a lovely day, especially when the world inside the manga was so exciting and thrilling.

One of the best things about the manga was that it was set in my city, Musuatafu. But BNHA Musuatafu was a very different place from the Musuatafu that I knew. It was a place where villains ran rampant and heroes who stopped then, most of the population was gifted with a quirk. BNHA Musuatafu had been hit especially hard because of one of the world's worst villains; they go by the name League of Villians.

The line surged forward, a sign that the store was finally opening its doors, and there was a chorus of squeals and some jostling.

Ilda frowned at Uraraka. "It's going to be a stampede. I told you we should have come earlier!"

Uraraka shook her head, her brown hair swinging. "I don't wake up before six for anyone, not even Kyoka Jiro."

"How dare you Ochako? And you think yourself worthy of Jiro!" Ilda made a show of hoisting his chin and turning his back on Uraraka. A self-professed drama geek, he loved using BNHA's formal language.

While my BNHA crush – well, more like obsession – was Shoto Todoroki, Uraraka and Ilda loved Jiro and Yaoyorozu, one of which as Todoroki's best friend. Todoroki was cold and mysterious, and determined to hunt down all the villains in relation to the League of Villains.

"I wonder if Todoroki is going to fall in love in this volume," Ilda said as we inched closer to the door. "It's about time, don't you think?"

"Not necessarily," I said, feeling a blush burn my cheeks. I wasn't sure I wanted a love interest for Todoroki. The thought of being jealous of a character in a manga series was silly, but I couldn't help it. Todoroki Shoto was the closest to perfection that any guy could ever be. What guy could measure up? "He isn't the romantic type. Todoroki's too focused on surpassing his father to fall in love."

"Good point," Ilda agreed. A few eager fans were now leaving the store, manga in hand, bumping into us because they'd started reading already, "But you never now. If he surpasses Endeavour and defeats The League of Villains, he's going to need a new story line."

Just the mention of Endeavour gave me the chills. There was no doubt in my mind that Todoroki would surpass his father. It was a question of when, not if.

Finally it was our turn. As we stepped over the threshold into the book store, I couldn't help but think of how lucky I was that my friends shared my passion for BNHA. It was actually our love of manga that had first brought us together, in the ninth grade. Uraraka had started a club in high school where we would read manga together and Ilda and I had been the only ones to show up. I just moved from a new school because I was being bulled and I didn't know anyone. Within weeks, we'd become a "trio of awesomeness", as Uraraka put it. Most people we met thought we'd been best friends forever, not just for a couple of years.

Thankfully the three copies I had pre-ordered were there waiting for us. I picked of my copy, hugging it to my chest like a long-lost friend. It was thicker than the last volume and that made my heart pound; the more Todoroki to read about, the better. Uraraka and Ilda were busy exclaiming over the over – it had been revealed online months ago, but it was still amazing to see it for real.

The three of us left the store, breathless with triumph. There was no talk of hanging out afterward. We caught the bus and grabbed seats, reading the whole way. When it got to my stop, I reluctantly tucked the manga under my arm and waved goodbye to my friends.

I lived in an apartment building that's located in the city of Musuatafu. On the outside there are other apartments and power lines out in the front of the building. I have no complaints about the building we live in, I live with just my mother – Inko Midoriya – as my father left years ago to do business overseas and has yet to come back, he always has an excuse as to why he can't come back yet.

I pushed those thoughts away, determined not to stew in bitterness. Besides, nothing could shake my good mood today. I had a date with Todoroki Shoto, after all.

I had to remind myself of that when I got inside the apartment and saw my mother's shoes and coat were gone. Taking my shoes off I walked into the kitchen to see a note on the fridge which stated that she had gone out and won't be back until late. Pulling the note off the fridge, I scrunched it up into a ball and threw it in the bin. I grabbed a coke then from the fridge and a crumpled bag of trail mix, then went to my room. Taking off my jacket, I sat back against the pillows, ready to lose myself in BNHA: Chapter Two.

Hands tingling with anticipation, I opened the manga.

I slammed the manga shut, "No, no, no!"

This is not the ending I'd been hoping for.

It was Sunday night just after eleven. I'd been reading all weekend with short breaks for food, hygiene and fresh air, and the phone debriefs with my friends.

How could the author leave Todoroki's life in the lurch? Hadn't he been through enough already?

Todoroki had been more amazing in BNHA: Chapter Two. But right now he's corned by The League of Villains. And I have to wait at least over another year to find out what happened to him! That is so unfair.

A horrible thought occurred to me: he wouldn't kill him off, would he?

No he wouldn't dare. Todoroki is too important. Readers would never forgive him. _I_ would never forgive him.

But Toshinori Yagi was notorious for doing things his way, no matter what his publisher or fans wanted. I flipped the manga over, my fingers sliding over the glossy jacket. Todoroki and Yaoyorozu were on the cover, and The League of Villains watching from the shadows. The images on the manga's covers were drawn by Toshinori himself because he felt only he could depict the characters accurately. He had also refused to sell the movie rights, clamming that no actors could be true to his characters. Despite the uproar from fans, I agreed with him on that one. I couldn't imagine anyone doing justice to Todoroki Shoto.

Sliding of my bed, I crossed to the window, gazing down at the dark streets below. Our third-floor apartment had a better view now that the project next door had been torn down. From my window I could see most of the neighbourhood, the streets glistening with new rain, mist rising from the sewers.

I could almost hear the sound of Todoroki's footsteps as he ran down the street, reading to use his quirk, chasing down a villain in the moonlight. If I could spot Todoroki in this maze of streets, I'd climb down the fire escape and help him.

Not that I'd be of much use against a villain.

Anyway, now that I had finished the manga, it was time for me to go online and vent. I wished I could call Uraraka or Ilda, but it was too late, and I didn't know if they had finished the manga yet. Turning away from the window, I headed towards my computer.

I plunked down on my chair and went straight to my favourite BNHA fan site, then logged into the readers' forum as Tododeku, it was my nickname and his last name merged together, and began typing.

 **Tododeku:** (*Spoilers*) I just finished reading BNHA: Chapter Two. I can't believe he ended it with Todoroki chasing the leader of The League of Villains! Does anyone here think he might kill of Todoroki in the next manga? I'm really worried.

I waited, and a reply came up almost instantly:

 **ILoveYaoyorozu4ever222:** I wouldn't be surprised if he did kill him. It doesn't look like he's destined to find happiness. If he were going to have a happy ending, he would've met a girl by now.

At this point others began chiming in.

 **Yaoyorozumylove990:** He wouldn't dare kill him. He knows we'd all freak out! I heard he's having writers block and hasn't started the third volume yet. Maybe he doesn't know what to do with Todoroki.

 _Writer's block?_ I thought with dread. I began typing again.

 **Tododeku:** I hope he gets over the writer's block soon because over a year is way too long for the next volume. I can't picture waiting any longer than that.

 **ToshinoriYagifan8567:** I think he'll probably have Tomura Shigarak kill Todoroki. Yaoyorozu will go ballistic and get all violent for a change, or even Endeavour will go on a killing spree to avenge his successor. If either kills Shigarak, it would be the perfect ending to the series!

A flurry of comments came up; most of them saying that it would be a terrible ending. As if killing off Todoroki would work. As if Yaoyorozu's personality would do a one-eighty.

I had a sinking feeling in the pit of my stomach. If Todoroki died, it meant the end of the fantasy, and that would be too much to bear.

It was 12:34 a.m., definitely time to stop for the night. I'd stayed up late too many times, and then ended up headachy the next day. I liked to write up little scenarios of my own in my notebooks then type them up and post them online, I used to write original stories until BNHA came about, now I write fanfictions online. I knew that if I was going to become a writer one, I would need to start writing my own stuff again. It was too bad that the character of Todoroki Shoto had already been created by Toshinori Yagi. I wished he was all mine.


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter Two

On Monday I stopped in to visit one of my best buddies; the school librarian.

Mr Aizawa is a slender man of average height with messy, shoulder-length black hair that partially hangs in front of his face and often half-opened black eyes. His facial hair remains unkempt and his eyes almost always looked tired and droopy. Mr Aizawa sports a ragged black outfit that consists of a long-sleeved shirt and matching pants that tuck into his boots. Like my friends and me, he was a reading addict, but by the look of him you would think he was sleep-deprived and scary but once you talk with him and get to know him, he's actually not very scary.

"You finished it, didn't you?" he asked. Mr Aizawa was also a fan of the BNHA manga series, which in turn made him the coolest librarian ever.

"I can't believe it ended like that!" I cried, slumping down in the chair next to his desk. I had already discussed the ending with Uraraka and Ilda on the bus to school that morning. Both my friends were equally outraged by the cliff-hanger, although they weren't as worried about Todoroki's fate as I was. Ilda speculated that Shigarak wouldn't kill Todoroki, but try and get him to join The League of Villains instead. The idea made me shudder; Todoroki hated villains just as much and his father, if not a little more that if he became one, he might kill himself.

"I know," Aizawa said, closing out an email and turning to face me. "But it made you eager for the next volume in the series didn't it? I thought Toshinori Yagi did an excellent job of keeping his audience on the edge of their seats."

"You're right," I admitted. "I just don't enjoy being on the edge of my seat of an entire year or more."

At that, he laughed.

Aizawa had started at my high school the year before I entered ninth grade, and he had his work cut out for him. Most of the library's collection was more that forty years old. Aizawa used whatever money he could get his hands on to buy books, and he displayed the newest, shiniest ones at the front of the library to draw the students in. he went to as book fairs as possible to score free books, and even wrote to publishers asking for free sample copies.

"I'm scared that Toshinori Yagi's going to kill off Todoroki," I said. "Some people online are saying it. You don't think he would do that, do you?"

"Who knows what the author is thinking? My guess is that he loves Todoroki as much as we do. He adds so much excitement to the story, while Yaoyorozu can be a little verbose – though I wouldn't dare say that in front of Uraraka or Ilda," Aizawa added, looking towards me once again. "The thing is, Todoroki is a very dark character. He might see him as a tragic figure. Time will tell."

"Come on, you have some connections with the publishing people, right? Can't you draw up a petition with your librarian friends asking Toshinori Yagi to hurry up with Volume Three and keep Todoroki alive?"

"That's a thought," he smiled. "So, Midoriya. Other than your worries about Todoroki Shoto, is everything ok?" Aizawa had a fatherly way of asking you questions, another thing I loved about him. If you wanted to talk, you talked. And if you didn't, he didn't push you. He would always let you know the door was open.

There were a lot of things I could tell him. Like how Katsuki Bakugou still bullies me for being gay. Like how my dad hardly ever called, and I'd stopped caring if he did. But there wasn't any point, or anything he could do.

"Yeah, things are ok."

Aizawa game me a knowing look, but didn't pry. "Are you looking forward to the dance this Friday?"

"A little," I said with a shrug. I knew that Uraraka and Ilda were probably discussing the dance right now at our table in the cafeteria. Ilda would want to figure out our outfits, and Uraraka would want to dissect who was going with whom. None of us had dates.

Unlike my friends, I've never had a boyfriend or girlfriend. I'd have a crush here and there, but it never came to anything, Ilda had had several girlfriends, and Uraraka, who was shy with guys, dated a guy at camp two summers ago. And I haven't even had my first kiss yet, and I never really cared.

Although I'd never really admit it to anyone, reading BNHA had left me with intense longing. _What would it be like_ , I wondered, _to date someone like the mysterious Todoroki Shoto?_

As the week went on, Uraraka and Ilda's excitement about the dance began to feel contagious. The weather was cold and grey every day, so I would come straight home from school, do homework, and write in my note book. By Friday night, I was more than ready to go out. My secret, romantic self-hoped that some cute guy from another school would show up at the dance and spot me in the crowd. It never happened, of course, but I made sure I looked good just in case. This meant putting product in my damp hair; hoping to tame the green mess I call my hair, and wearing a checked shirt, black ripped skinny jeans and my famous red shoes. Uraraka, Ilda and I got ready together at Uraraka's house, and rode the bus to school.

The gym was already packed when we arrived. Beyoncé's new single was playing, so we headed straight for the dance floor. When it ended, another equally awesome song came on. It felt good to get lost in the music and I spun around, my hair bouncing as I moved.

"Hi, kids!" Aizawa infiltrated our triangle, moving slowly to the music.

A few people laughed and pointed at us, but stopped as soon as Aizawa turned and glared at them. Ok, so maybe it wasn't cool to be seen dancing with the school librarian. But I didn't care. Some people were cool no matter what age they were. Aizawa was one of those people.

He stayed with us until the end of the song, and then headed back to his post at the gym doors. He still moved a little to the music. I had to laugh. He didn't seem to care if anyone looked at him.

By the time a slow song came on I was thirst, and Uraraka said her feet were killing her. We headed towards the vending machines at the back of the gym. Uraraka kept tripping in her sky high wedges, so we were walking very slowly.

We bought some drinks, and Uraraka leaned against the wall, taking the weight off her feet. "I hope Bakugou gets here soon – there's only an hour left to the dance," she stated irritably, opening her can of juice and taking a sip.

"He's not coming," Ilda told her. "There's a track meet this weekend."

Uraraka had been obsessing over Bakugou Katsuki for years. Ilda always bugged her to ask him out already – as much for our sanity as for hers- but Uraraka never made a move. I secretly thought it was for the best. Bakugou was good-looking, sure, but I didn't like him or his friends, AKA the jock squad, which included Kirishima Eijiro, Kaminari Denki, and Sero Hanta. Those guys acted like they ruled the hallways (which I guess, they did) and were God's gift to girls (Which they definitely weren't). Bakugou has bullied me since childhood and I neglected to inform her because of her crush.

"Bakugou is not the only cute guy at this school," I pointed out.

"Um, yes he is," Uraraka replied, rolling her eyes. "Ok, Deku. If you think there are so many cute guys around, I dare you to ask one to dance."

"No, thanks." As my gaze skimmed over the dance floor, I realized that no one here inspired any excitement in me. How sad that I felt more of a connection to a fictional character than to a guy in real life.

After chatting for a few more minutes, we headed back to the dance floor. The juice had given us a new kick of energy. Uraraka took off her wedges and danced barefoot, swigging her shoes around, but yelped when someone stood on her foot.

By the time another set of slow songs came on, we decided to get going. The dance would be ending soon, anyway, so we figured we'd beat the coat-check rush. Unfortunately, a bunch of other people had the same idea.

"See you Monday, Aizawa," I said, catching him in the midst of a yawn as we filed out of the gym.

"Do any of you kids need a ride home?" he asked.

"Nah, we're good," I said for all of us. The bus ride was part of the fun – that's where we'd rehash the night's events. Not that anything exciting had happened, but we'd find something to talk about.

We picked up some snacks at the store across the street before boarding the bus with a crowd of people from our school. The freshmen gathered at the back, shouting, tossing food wrappers, and sloshing drinks at one another. The bus driver told them to settle down.

I was the first of my friends to get off the bus. As few other kids got off at the same time, which was good because the area wasn't the most welcoming late at night, it was only a five-minute walk to my building, but the heavy post-rain fog made it seem further away.

I walked quickly, eager to get past the park. Musuatafu park was the city's attempt to green up the area by planting some trees and bushes. A couple of dilapidated buildings had been town down, and a basketball court, play structure, and swing set had been put in. it was deserted at this time of the night, and the sight of it wrapped in fog was creepy.

Suddenly something slammed into my windpipe, cutting of my air. My body reeled with the force of impact. I caught a glimpse of light blue hair inches from my face, I heard a vicious snarl. _I'm being attacked,_ I realized, frozen with horror. An arm snaked around my waist and I felt myself be pulled along.

A dark figure leaped from the shadows and grabbed my attacker, who was forced to drop me to the ground. I scrambled to my feet and started to run. I could hear blows, grunts, and a sick almost inhuman growl. A high-pitched screaming filled my ears; it was coming from me.

"Are you alright?" Someone had run up beside me. "Are you injured?"

I stopped running. A nearby streetlight illuminated the fog, giving me a glimpse of the guy's face. He looked very familiar, but I couldn't place him.

"Where'd he go?" I gasped, shaking. I scanned the bushes, terrified my attacker would jump out at any second.

"Ran off, I couldn't catch him."

Catch him? This guy had to be crazy to think about running after my attacker.

I glanced at him, and felt like the air had been sucked out of me.

His profile was straight and chiselled. Short hair, evenly split between white on his right-side and red on his left. And a distinguished scar over his left eye. A line from BNHA came to mind: He would have been classically handsome if not for the forbidding expression on his face.

I gave my head a shake. Jeez. After all I'd just been through, I was still thinking of Todoroki. I did a double take, but his face and figure were now shrouded in a little bit of frost and steam, from either side. It must have been a mirage – my mind's way of bringing me comfort after the terror.

With trembling hands, I pushed the wild curls of hair out of my face. I didn't know who, or what, had just attacked me, and I had no idea who my saviour was. All I knew was, I had to get home. "I will walk you home, sir," the guy said. "Is this the way?"

I looked around, confusion muddling my brain. I was almost half way across the park, where the sandboxes and swing sets were located. I guess I'm a faster runner than I originally thought?

It took me a few moments to orient myself. "It's on the other side of the apartment complex."

I practically had to run to keep up with him, while at the same time scanning the darkness for signs of another attack.

"I'm lucky you were there," I said, still trying to catch my breath.

"It was not luck," he said tightly. "I was tracking him. And about to pounce on him before he grabbed you, I might add. I can't imagine why you would break curfew and leave yourself so exposed. There is no excuse for such recklessness, quirk or not."

I was dumbstruck. He was blaming me for getting attacked?

"I wasn't breaking my curfew. I don't even have a curfew." Mom had never needed to impose one on me.

He shot me a glare. "Indeed? I wonder if the police would confirm that."

I had no idea what he was talking about, but I didn't care to ask. I had bigger problems. We'd reached my building, and I practically dived for the heavy glass door. "I'm going to call the police." I fished my pocket for the key. "I hope you can give them a better description than I can." My fingers closed around the key, but my hand was shaking so hard that it took several attempts to fit it in the lock.

"Call the police? Are you mad? They are no use against him. They're too scared themselves."

I turned to look at him. The area was well lit, and for the first time, I could see him clearly.

And it hit me – again – how much he resembled Todoroki Shoto, right down to the stony expression he wore on the cover of BNHA Chapter Two.

"Look, I don't know why you were following that guy, but you shouldn't put yourself in danger. He could really hurt you." I was finally able to unlock the door, and I quickly stepped into the lobby.

"I have every intention of capturing him before he can do so," he said, following me inside.

His sharp tone unsettled me. Was this guy a vigilante or something? I'd leave that to the police to find out.

I took out my phone and turned it on.

"What are you doing?"

"Calling the police," I said slowly, wondering what this guy's deal was. A chill crept down my spine. Maybe I shouldn't have allowed him inside my building.

"I already told you that the police are scared of this guy, umm... Sorry, what is your name?"

"Izuku Midoriya," I replied automatically.

"I am Shoto Todoroki," He bowed. "At your service."


	3. Chapter 3

I stared at him for a few seconds, stunned by his pitch perfect performance. Then I started to laugh. I couldn't help it.

This guy had _deliberately_ done himself up to resemble Todoroki Shoto. The two-toned hair and heterochromia eyes were one thing – lots of guys were adopting that style these day's to get girls attention. But to have a burn scar over his left eye, including his hero costume, a dark blue jacket, dark blue pants and white boots (minus his combat vest)….. It was a Todoroki Shoto costume.

Leave it to me to be rescued by some BNHA-obsessed weirdo.

"What is so humorous?" he demanded, arching a white eyebrow.

"You look a lot like him; I'll give you that."

"A lot like whom?"

"You know, Todoroki Shoto from the BNHA manga series."

He looked puzzled. "I do not know what series you speak of. In any case I must be off to the Endeavour Agency to see if I can get help to pick up his trial, as much as I hate to. Do you know, perchance, how I can get there from here?"

The Endeavour Agency. It was a notorious area where some of the best heroes worked from the manga.

I didn't know why he felt he had to continue the joke. I felt an uneasy twist in my stomach. Something was definitely off about this guy. "I'm sorry, but I'm not into the whole role-playing thing. I'm a fan of the manga, too, but I need to deal with the police right now." I turned to walk to the elevator.

"You will offer me no help?" he asked.

I looked back at him again. Seeing the intensity in his eyes, I felt a frisson off fear. "My mother's waiting for me upstairs and could be down any seconds. And there's a security camera over there." I pointed to it, perched above the mirror to our right. I caught a glimpse of myself and the Todoroki Shoto look-alike looming in front of me.

He seemed confused. "Only minutes ago, I saved your life, and now you act as if I am threatening it?"

"That man wasn't necessarily going to…"

"Tomura Shigaraki never leaves his victims alive."

Something stilled inside me.

 _No, this is ridiculous. He's just trying to freak you out._

And it was working.

"Shigaraki's just a character in a manga series, ok?" I stepped into the elevator and pressed the button for the third floor, but jumped back when a booted foot lodged itself in the door. It automatically reopened.

"Not so fast." His heterochromia eyes were penetrating. "Not until you explain why you doubt who I am."

I stepped out of the elevator straight away. This guy was getting scarier by the minute, and I'd always had a fear of being cornered in an elevator. At least in the lobby, someone might come in. and the threat of the security camera might make him think twice if he had any intention of hurting me, I muttered to myself.

"Why don't we sit down," he said. It was clearly not a question.

When he took my arm, I didn't resist. I let him walk me over to the sagging chintz couch. He sat down next to me.

"I would like to know why you do not believe what I'm telling you."

I inched away from him as subtly as I could. "I don't know what to say. I told you I just want to call the police."

"And I told _you,_ the police are ineffective. Rather than going after these villains themselves, they adhere to curfews and sending the most suited heroes. They are not qualified to take on Shigaraki and his followers. This cannot be news to you."

He genuinely seemed to believe what he was saying, which only left one option: he was crazy. I didn't see any other choice but to play along. "Yeah, I guess you're right. Anyway, if you want to get to the Endeavour Agency, it's just, uh, a couple of miles north of here. Turn left at the stop sign half a block down, and keep walking."

"Thank you for the directions."

He stood up, and so did I. I was hoping that he would head for the door, but he didn't move. His next words were very measured. "You keep referring to these manga series. Please tell me why?"

I sighed and glanced back at the waiting room elevator. "Todoroki Shoto is a character in the BNHA manga series." _As if you didn't know that._

"And what role do I supposedly play in this series?"

"You're Endeavour's son and Yaoyorozu's best friend. The number two hero."

He considered that. "I am aware of my actions being reported in The Hero Watch, but not in any manga series. Whatever these volumes say, I assure you they are entirely unauthorized. I am the real Todoroki Shoto. I give you my word."

"Ok, you're Todoroki Shoto."

His nostrils flared. "You clearly do not believe me. How can I prove who I am?"

He probably expected me to quiz him on the manga, but that wouldn't prove anything. If he was this much of a fan, he probably knew them even better than I did.

And then something occurred to me. I could end this, here and now.

"You could show me your 'quirks'."

"Excuse me?"

"Todoroki Shoto has two quirks, Ice and Fire. If you show me either one of your quirks, I'll believe you."

"Very well." He held out both hands and then made fire and ice appear.

I gasped. There it was, fire and ice, coming from him. I was speechless.

He wasn't supposed to be able to prove that he was Todoroki, what was I supposed to do now? Believe him?

He didn't stop there. "I can also make it snow in here that may reinforce the verdict." He then proceeded to make it lightly snow around me. I felt myself shiver from the cold as a small smile made its way onto my mouth, despite my fear and frustration.

"When I was doing my internship, I went to rescue a classmate from Hero Killer Stain and almost died."

I nodded dumbly. The story was in the manga. It had been a terrifying experience for both boys, but had brought them somewhat closer together.

He began to roll up one if his sleeves. His forearm was muscular, and that made me blush, too. "I also have –"

"It's ok, I – I believe you."

The world was shifting around me. What choice did I have but to believe his wild story? He could make ice and fire appear out of thin air!

Did that really mean, then…?

Was this guy actually…?

I closed my eyes for a second, trying to take it all in. when I opened them, Todoroki was still there, life-size and three-dimensional. Despite the wariness in his eyes, he looked slightly younger than I'd pictured him. He was, after all, only a couple of months shy of nineteen.

"I just don't understand," I said. "How could you _be_ the Todoroki Shoto from the manga?"

"I have absolutely no idea. Which is why I must see this manga series you speak of. But first, please, tell me where I am. I know this city as well as I know the lines in my own palm, but I must have chased Shigarak further than I thought."

 _Shigaraki_

No. No way. Shigaraki could not be here. He could not have attacked me.

But then I had a flash of memory of light blue hair and a low growling. I shivered violently.

"Are you ok, sir?"

"Not if you're saying the guy who jumped me was actually Shigaraki."

"Indeed, it was."

I couldn't tell who was more confused right now, me or Todoroki. "Ok. I have to show you. The manga, I mean. I think you'd better come up to my apartment . . . Todoroki."

Saying his name was so strange. I'd said it so many times before, thought it more times than I could count. But I'd never expected I would say it to his face. In my dazed mind, it struck me that my greatest dream had come true: Todoroki Shoto was here. In my Musuatafu.

But so had my worst nightmare: Shigaraki was, too.

"Mom, this is my friend, Todoroki. Todoroki, this is my mom." I'd never imagined that Todoroki Shoto would be the first boy I brought home, but here he was in my living room.

Mom looked at me, then at Todoroki, then at me. It didn't take a psychic to read her mind. _Who is he and why are you bringing him over at eleven thirty at night?_

"Nice to meet you, Todoroki." She managed a smile, and self-consciously touched her hair, which was pulled back in an untidy ponytail. I could tell she was embarrassed.

"Likewise." He didn't bow; I'd told him not to on the elevator ride up. I'd also told him to let me do all the talking.

"I'm going to get us something to eat, ok, mom?"

"There's leftover's In the fridge. It's at the back. Here, I'll show you."

"Have a seat," I told Todoroki. He sat down on the couch, engrossed into the TV as a sitcom played.

In the kitchen, mom looked at me expectantly.

"He's Ilda's brother's friend," I said, turning on the faucet and pouring two glasses of water. I hated lying to my mum, and preferred not to look her in the eye while I was doing it. "He needs a place to stay. I haven't asked him yet, but I was wondering if he could stay here for a couple days."

"How come I haven't heard about him?"

I shrugged. "There was nothing to say. We weren't that close or anything. Where's the left overs?"

"Right here." She bent into the fridge and removed a glass dish covered in tinfoil. "Are you dating him?"

"No, It's not like that," I said quickly. "We're just friends."

A knowing look flickered in mom's eyes. She could tell already that I had a crush on him. I waited for her to ask me flat out, but instead she said, "What about his parents?"

"His mother is in a hospital, so he was living with his father and siblings, but he wasn't getting along very well with his father."

I was relieved to be able to tell the truth about that, at least. Todoroki had lived with his father since his mother was put into hospital by his father; she was put in there because she poured boiling hot water on Todoroki's left eye, leaving him with his scar. Todoroki hates his father because of this, if it weren't for him then his mother would've never of poured the water on his face.

"Why is he dressed like that?"

"He's a BNHA fan, too. Some people at the dance were dressing up."

She smiled. "A boy who's a BNHA fan? I'm sure you have a lot in common."

"Pretty much."

"I'll trust your judgement on this, Izuku. He can stay for a couple of days."

"Thanks." I hugged her.

Mom always trusted my judgement; I'd never given her any reason not to. I was always responsible, reliable, and honest – until tonight, anyway. But I couldn't possibly tell her the truth about Todoroki. If I did, she'd send both of us for mental evaluations.

I warmed up the leftovers in the microwave and brought it to Todoroki along with a glass of water. He downed them fast. Mom said goodnight and headed off down the hall, then poked her head in a minute later to remind me to get clean sheets and towels for our guest.

Once she left again, Todoroki looked at me. "Shall I take that for an offer of hospitality?"

"My mom said you could stay for a couple of days, I didn't tell her who you really are."

"I'd have thought my reputation would recommend me. If she reads the Hero Watch, she might have well have heard of me."

"There is no Hero Watch here."

His brow furrowed. "Are we not in Musuatafu?"

"We're in Musuatafu, just not your Musuatafu. I don't know how, but you're not in BNHA anymore."

"What is BNHA?"

I hesitated. "It's the place in the manga series. What I'm saying is, you're not in your wold anymore."

He appeared to mull this over. "Then where am I?"

"I don't know. Here." I wished I could make him understand it, but I didn't understand it myself. "A place without heroes and villains."

"You must be mistaken. You were clearly attacked by –"

"I know. But I don't know how he got here, or how you got here. Hold on a second. Let me go get my manga books for you."

I went into my bedroom, scooped them off my bedside table, and brought them back.

He took both volumes into his hands, staring at the pictures on the cover. "Good lord, that's me! And Yaoyorozu!"

He opened BNHA, flipping through the pages. I sat down beside him, making sure we weren't sitting too close together. Then I showed him a section midway through the mangs that took place from his point of view.

"Astounding," he muttered.

He studied the manga for a while, occasionally making a shocked exclamation. And I studied him in a daze, trying to make sense of the fact that Todoroki Shoto was here beside me. In my _living room_. On my _couch_. I thought about touching him to make sure he was real, but I wouldn't dare. Just the thought made my face flame.

Could this be a trick of some kind, an elaborate hoax set up to dupe a BNHA fan for a reality TV show? I could see Uraraka and Ilda nominating me for something like that. Maybe there was hidden cameras outside, and even here in the apartment. I glanced around, seeing nothing out of the ordinary.

Besides, the attack had been too violent to have been staged. Any producers would know that I could've got seriously hurt and sued the pants off them. And my mom would never have played along with a stunt like that.

My gut said that Todoroki was the real thing. I would just have to trust my instincts – until I had evidence to prove otherwise.

Eventually, Todoroki put the manga aside and sank back into the couch, raking a hand through his two-toned hair. "I don't know what to make of it."

"I don't, either. Maybe you chased Shigaraki through a portal of some kind."

"A portal? In my world it is plausible."

"In the real world it isn't."

The moment I saw his face twitch, I wished I could take back the words.

"You believe _my_ world is the fantasy world, do you?" Todoroki asked. "I assure you, it is not. _This_ world, which you claim has no heroes or villains seems fantastical to me."

I didn't know how to respond. Inn a way, he was right – his world was completely real to him. Todoroki Shoto was not, and never had been, a fictional character.

My first thought was that I had to call Uraraka and Ilda, tell them everything. But I knew how crazy the whole scenario would sound. I'd have to wait.

"I'm sorry," I finally said. "I didn't mean that. Your world is as real as mine."

"Thank you." He seemed deep in thought. "There must be some passageway between my Musuatafu and yours. Otherwise, this author could not have known what is happening there." He paused. "If a portal exists, I believe it is located in the vicinity of the Hosu Bridge. Earlier this evening, I tracked down Shigaraki and chased him across the bridge. Soon after, I became aware that I did not recognise where we were. Come to think of it, that when I noticed that many people were out pat curfew after being told by police to stay indoors."

"And then you ended up at my building complex."

"Yes, I'd lost Shigaraki trail briefly. I imagine that he was as disoriented as I was. That must be why he stopped to hurt you – he didn't appear to realise I was still after him."

 _Hurt me._ I felt queasy. If Todoroki hadn't shown up, Shigaraki would have … I shook my head. There was no time for post-traumatic stress disorder. We had to figure out what was happening.

"Maybe if you go back to the bridge," I suggested, "there's a chance you'll find your way home." I wasn't sure if that would work; after all, I'd crossed that bridge many times myself and never ended up in BNHA. But it might be worth a shot.

"Getting home is not my primary concern." He gave me a hard glance, and I knew what he was thinking. Any Todoroki Shoto fan would know.

"You want to find Shigaraki."

"Until I know for certain that Shigaraki has returned to my world, I'm not going anywhere."


	4. Chapter 4

Chapter Four

Last night. The attack. Todoroki.

Had I dreamed it all? Or was Todoroki, right now, sleeping in our spare room?

I shifted to look at the clock, wincing with soreness all over my body. Pushing the covers back, I saw bruises on my arms where Shigaraki had grabbed me, all though the bruises where in the shape of his hand, there was a finger missing. It was all the assurance I needed that last night really happened.

7:39 a.m. My second Saturday waking up way too early. But there was no chance of falling back to sleep. I was surprised I'd slept at all, since I'd lain awake for hours, my mind spinning.

I opted for jeans and a white top that had 'All M' wrote on it, slowly pulling the clothes over my sore body. After brushing my teeth, I went back to my room to brush my messy green hair. I glanced around. As always, my room was messy, spilling over with books and BNHA merchandise. A sign hung on my door: Plus Ultra. Still, I threw the scattered socks and T-shirts into my hamper.

What was I doing? A guy from BNHA would never enter a room like mine, BNHA poster all over the walls as well as a few posters of Todoroki himself. He would think I'm a freak.

My face got hot.

The apartment was quiet. Mom was probably still asleep – she liked to sleep in on Saturdays. I heard some noise in the kitchen, so I headed that way.

And there was Todoroki, sitting at the kitchen table with a cup of tea, engrossed in BNHA.

He raised his eyes. "Good morning, Midoriya."

Hearing my name spoken in his soft, deep voice was startling.

"Did you sleep well?" I asked, trying to compose myself.

"I have not slept yet. I went out hoping to regain his trail. Then at, dawn, I returned and started reading. I hope you do not mind that I used your keys."

"It's ok." I spotted the keys on the table by the front door, where I'd left them. I should have known that Todoroki would be keeping villain time. It made sense, if you were a hero. I hadn't heard him leave or come back, but stealth had always been one of his strong points.

"I only sleep when I need to," Todoroki explained. "But then, I suppose you know that. I suppose you know a lot about me." His mouth tightened. "It seems there is no detail of my life too minute for Toshinori Yagi to share with the world."

I managed a smile. "That's what makes BNHA so fascinating. The details."

"I am sure he would be glad of your approval."

"Where did you go last night?"

"All over this city of yours. It is a funny thing. Some streets go by the same name as my Musuatafu, others are different. Some areas I recognise, others have changed irrevocably. I will have to study maps before going out again." With that, he turned his attention back to the book.

I saw a plate with bread crumbs and the butter dish in front of him. Last night I'd told him to help himself to food in the morning, but I wasn't sure bread and butter would do the trick.

"I'll make us some eggs."

"Do not trouble yourself. I have had my sustenance."

"I'll make them, anyway." I felt like I need a more substantial than usual for breakfast myself.

Deciding scrambled eggs with toast was the way to go. I put a pan on the stove and got the ingredients from the fridge. I was no gourmet chef, but I'd done a lot off cooking. I liked to help mom around the kitchen and have her teach me a new recipe every once and a while.

I darted a glance over my shoulder.

Todoroki Shoto is in my kitchen.

It was going to take some getting used to.

The sleeves of his dark blue jacket were rolled up, and hiss long legs were stretched out in front of him, hugged by his matching dark blue trousers. He was beautiful, more so than I had ever imagined.

I tried to put the thought out of my head. Fantasizing about a fictional guy is one thing; fantasizing about him when he was sitting a few feet away was another. He'd quickly figure me out if I kept staring at him this way.

When the eggs were done, I divided them onto two plates, placing one in from of him.

"Thank you. It is very kind of you."

"You're welcome." I knew he'd probably feel obligated to ask me to join him, but I didn't want to stop him from reading, so I said, "I'm going to eat in the other room so you can read." Before he could argue, I went into the living room.

Sitting down on the couch, I turned on a local station. A puffy-eyed reporter was at a crime scene. Yellow tape blocked off a park behind him. "Two teenage boys were found dead on a basketball court in Hosu Park this morning; the boys showed some late stages of decomposing on parts of their bodies. The police are being tight-lipped about this, Faye, but I think they're flabbergasted. We've never seen anything like it."

Oh, God.

I put my face in my face in my hands. This couldn't really be happening, could it? Shigaraki on a rampage in my city?

And I'd almost been his victim. My gut twisted. I bet he'd killed those poor guys after Todoroki had stopped his attack on me.

I hadn't called the police last night. Maybe I should have. Would they have put out some sort of notice? Would it have stopped two teenage guys from playing late-night basketball?

The couch dipped beside me as Todoroki sat down, his dark gaze riveted on the TV.

I glanced at him and I saw the knife-thin crease between his brows as he listened to the news of the murders. If I'd had any doubt that Todoroki was who he said he was, or that my attacker last night had been Shigaraki, I didn't anymore.

Todoroki had been so close to catching Shigaraki at the end of BNHA Chapter Two that he'd had readers jumping out of their seats. But would he be able to get that close to him again in a city he didn't know?

"I am going to need excellent maps of the city," Todoroki said, his eyes not straying from the TV. "Schematics of abandoned buildings and underground tunnels are essential."

"Don't you think you should take a couple of days to get to know the city?" I asked. "If you don't know your way around, it will work against you."

"Shigaraki doesn't know the city, either. He would not have his usual hiding places, nor the protection of the league." He took a breath. "This could be the chance I've been waiting for."

Todoroki had a point. And though I was afraid for his safety, I was also afraid for everyone else in the city. They didn't know there was a real villain around.

"I'll get you maps. And some clothes, too. So you won't attract attention."

"I appreciate your help and hospitality." He turned to me, a chilling resolve in his eyes. "Let me assure you that I will do everything in my power to stop Shigaraki before he can cause more terror. I do not wish your world like mine."

Me neither.

An hour later, Todoroki walked into the mall wearing my oversized hoody, his dark blue trousers, and his white boots. His odd hair got him some stares, I however didn't care. It didn't make him any less handsome, and I could tell that many of the stares were from intrigued females, and the odd few of males.

As Todoroki and I headed towards the big department store at the south end of the mall, I glanced around, hoping we wouldn't bump into anyone I knew from school, especially Bakugou. Thankfully, Uraraka and Ilda were both busy with family obligations that day. And it was just after nine o'clock and the mall was half empty. But I was still paranoid.

Todoroki, too, was looking around, but his eyes were slightly narrowed, and he seemed almost on edge.

"Are you ok?" I asked him feeling a bit concerned.

"I'm just making sure he's not here." He replied.

The thought made me shudder. Even though there weren't many people around, I found myself glancing over my shoulder. "There are plenty of places he could be hiding out. Malls, cinemas, office building, bars which are all over the city."

Todoroki nodded, looking determined. "Let us get this shopping done, Midoriya, so I can study the schematics."

When we arrived at the department store, Todoroki glanced around. "It's just like my world," he said, taking in the aisles of goods. "Except, there is a lot of hero merchandise."

I showed him some track pants on a reduced rack, which he said looked good. I offered him so black jeans, which he also approved on. Then he picked up some T-shirts, a sweatshirt, a jacket, socks, and some toiletries.

"I will find a way to repay you," he said later as we walked out of the store with our purchases. I knew that it was hard for him to let me buy him these things, but he had no choice. Until he got to know my world better, he would have to rely on me.

"You saved my life, and you're trying to protect my city. It's the least I can do," I said truthfully.

"I am, nonetheless, grateful." He rubbed his temple, as if the noise was giving him a headache "Are we done here?"

Todoroki changed into the new clothes in the mall bathroom. When we got home, it was eleven-thirty. Mom had left a note to say she had gone out for groceries, which could take a while. I did a quick internet search and downloaded as many maps of the city as I could find, then printed them all. Todoroki laid them out on the kitchen table and studied them, asking me questions as he did. He wanted me to describe different parts of the city, landmarks, topography, everything. I thought I knew my city well, but I wasn't able to give him all the details he wanted. I did, however, go back to the internet serval times to look things up for him.

After Todoroki finished studying the maps, he rolled them up. "I think I know the basics now, thank you for your help, it was much appreciated."

"Of course, anything to help to catch Shigaraki," I said with a small mile on my face.

Todoroki gave me a small nod as he headed towards the front door, me following in tow. "I think it's about time you had a bit of sleep before heading out again."

He stopped and turned to look at me. "I suppose you're right, Midoriya, I should sleep." I quickly made up the bed in the spare room, and then shut the door to give him some privacy.

As I went to my room I wondered how Todoroki would ever find Shigaraki. Though Shigaraki might have his favourite hiding spots, he could easily find new ones. My Musuatafu offered more and better hiding places than his world. Here, nobody knew who he was and what he can do. Shigaraki could hid in comfort in thousands of locations across the city.

If only I could warn the public that the threat was far worse than they knew. Then it occurred to me that there was something I actually could do. I had a description of the killer, didn't I? I could call the criminal hotline.

I grabbed my phone and dialled.

"This is about the decayed murders."

"Go ahead," the female said in a nasal voice.

"I know what the murder looks like. He attacked me last night, but I got away. He was acting very scary." As much as I wanted to tell her he was a real villain, there was no way she'd believe me.

"You say he attacked you, sir?"

"Yes"

"We'd like you come to come in and talk to the police immediately."

"I can't. I'm … too scared." I heard my voice waver with real fear. "I'll tell you what he looks like. That's all I can do. He has messy light blue hair and very pale looking." I remembered his description vividly from the manga. "He has red eyes. The skin around them is very wrinkly. Average height, I think. He's really strong, but you can't tell by looking at him. He's very lean."

"Thank you, sir. I hope you'll reconsider coming in and speaking to investigators. I can guarantee you anonymity. It sounds like you have enough information to be helpful to them."

"Please, just pass on this information."

"I will, but we've already got hundreds of tips on this case and by the end of the day, we might have thousands. If you don't feel comfortable speaking with investigators, can you give me more corroborating evidence? In what part of the city did he attack you?"

"The east side. Near Musuatafu Park."

"When was this?"

"Friday night."

"What time?"

"Around eleven."

"Ok, sir. Thank you for calling the Criminal Hotline."

I threw the phone onto my bed, taking a deep breath. She probably hadn't believed a word I'd said. Hundreds of people were likely calling in descriptions of the odd loner down the street or jerk ex-boyfriends.

I felt powerless. I hoped Todoroki could catch Shigaraki, because if he didn't, the city had no idea what it was in for.


	5. Chapter 5

Chapter Five

SOUNDLESS, VOICELESS NIGHTMARES ROLLED from one scenario to another. In the worst one, The League of Villains crowed the fire escape outside my window, begging me to let them in. and I decided to open the window to talk peace. That's when the attacked, of course.

I hated when I was stupid in dreams.

Sunday morning. I woke up from a fitful sleep – the type of sleep where I wasn't sure I'd slept at all. How could I relax knowing Todoroki was out there and in danger?

I'd seen him only briefly last night. He'd woken up just before sunset, eaten the leftover dinner mum had made, and then went out into the night. When mum looked at me questioningly, I told her that he had a job at the all-night convenience store.

I felt a wave of relief when I saw him on the living room couch. He must have finished BNHA Volume One already, because he was reading Volume Two.

"Hi," I said, smiling. He was so handsome it made my chest tighten.

His mouth curved into a smile that didn't reach his eyes. There was no need to ask how his night of tracking had gone.

"Good morning."

I spotted a newspaper on the table next to him. The headline read: COINCIDENCE? It showed a picture of Friday night's crime scene alongside a picture of Toshinori Yagi.

"I found this outside your neighbour's apartment," he said, handing me the paper. "Astonishing story, isn't? The BNHA phenomenon is so great that the author is being criticized for somehow inciting the killings."

I sat down beside him and read the article. Turns out people were connecting the release of BNHA Volume 2 with the villain like killings. Some were even calling to get the manga series banned.

"It is difficult to comprehend," he said.

I nodded. "Just because Toshinori Yagi writes about villains doesn't mean he should be blamed for the killings."

"I meant the popularity of the manga is difficult to understand. The better part of it is how young people are learning to control their quirks and typical high school drama, like romance. It insults my sensibilities."

"It's different when you're looking in from the outside. People like melodrama and … romance."

"Melodrama and romance? Is that why people care about what's going on in my world?"

"That's part of it. Personally, your story line of avenging your mother and becoming a better hero than Endeavour is the one I find most interesting, not about the romance between Yaoyorozu and Jiro."

He scowled. "What she sees in her, I'll never know."

"Hey, I'd like to show you something. Come with me."

I went into my room and pressed the button to boot up the computer, then gestured for him to sit down.

I typed in my log-in and my screen came up. The desktop background was a picture of the cover of BNHA Volume 2. I reached past him to open a web browser, and my arm accidentally brushed his. Just that bit of contact sent a warm ripple through me. I heard my heart beating in my ears, probably because I was holding my breath.

My home page was, _Plus Ultra,_ one of the top fan communities. I liked it not only because it had all the latest news about the manga, but because it had a fan fiction forum.

Todoroki looked closely at the screen, glancing side to side. "What is all this?"

"It's people talking about the manga." I used the mouse to click on the latest post. "Someone here wanted to talk about the ending of Volume Two, and almost four hundred people responded in the last few hours.

"That's, something. Wait a minute – who is Tododeku?"

Uh-oh. He'd spotted the small icon at the top with my log-in name. I felt my face heat up. "It's just, uh, a name. Everyone has to log-in under a made-up name."

He turned to me, curiosity in his eyes. "Is this your made-up name? What does it stand for?"

I wished he'd stop looking at me. I knew I was bright red. "Yes, but it's just a joke. I mean, there are thousands of other people who combine their names together. So that's why I did it," I rambled on, missing the look of slight shock on Todoroki's face.

"Hmm." He seemed puzzled by the whole thing. "I'm glad, at least, to see that some readers support my cause. Wait a minute." He pressed his finger against the screen. "Is that person claiming to be Shigaraki's lover?"

He'd spotted a username called _Shigaraki'sVillainLover_.

"It's just a joke, I told you. She (or he) doesn't know Shigaraki is real."

"Joke or not, it isn't funny."

"Let me show you something else," I suggested. "Since your world is slightly different from ours, the technology must be too." I showed him how to check the weather, the local news, the times of sunrise and sunset. After soaking in the information, he pushed back from the computer. Then he picked up BNHA Volume Two, which he'd brought with him the computer. "I can't believe how many people have read this manga," He flipped to the author photo on the inside cover, a glamorous shot of Toshinori Yagi. "It is essential that I speak to the author. Perhaps I could speak to her on the phone, or we could arrange to meet."

Contacting the author – of course! It made sense; he might be the only person able to explain how it is possible that Todoroki and Shigaraki existed, and had come to our world. But how would we do it? "It's not going to be easy to get in touch with someone as famous as him," I told him. "I'm sure his address and phone number would be unlisted."

"We must find a way. He may have some insight into finding Shigaraki. Perhaps he knows where he is right now. And I need to understand how he could possibly know so many details of my life – including my thoughts."

"Maybe," I said, my mind racing, "Toshinori Yagi goes through the same portal that you and Shigaraki came through, and that's why he knows BNHA so well. But that doesn't explain how he'd know his characters' thoughts.

"However he does it, it's totally objectionable. And I intend to tell him that after he has helped me locate Shigaraki."

"I'll check his tour dates. I know he isn't coming to Musuatafu until November, but he might be someplace else we can get to."

I turned back to the computer. It took me less than a minute to find the information. "He'll be singing just outside of Hosu next weekend. That's a long way but manageable. We could take a bus."

Todoroki nodded. "Hosu City it is. I am most eager to make Toshinori Yagi's acquaintance."

"Can we talk?" Mum poked her head into my bedroom that night, knocking a tune on the door.

"Sure." I had been trying to do some homework for tomorrow, but wasn't getting anywhere.

Mum came in and sat on my bed. "It's about Todoroki."

I could tell she was searching for words, so I jumped in. "I know you said a couple of days, but I was hoping he could stay a bit longer. Please, mum."

"I'm a bit concerned that Todoroki needs to figure his life out right now, and we're not helping him by letting him stay here. He sleeps some of the day and is out all night. The he gets up, eats, and is off again."

"I told you, that's because he works nights and is saving up money. It's not like he's out partying."

Mum nodded, but still looked dubious.

"He's extremely hardworking." That part, at least, was true.

"He'll pay you back anything you spend on groceries."

She shook her head. "I'm not concerned about that. I'm more concerned about you – that he's taking advantage of your kindness."

I couldn't blame her for coming to that conclusion. "He's not manipulating us, mum. He's just in a rough spot right now. I wish you could understand."

"Would it help if I talked to his father for him? Maybe I could help them patch things up?"

"It's too late for that. Could he just stay for another couple of days? I'll help him look for a room to rent."

"Does he have money to pay for a room?"

"He has some." I had about five hundred and fifty yen, I thought, remembering the bank statement from the ATM the other day. But it wouldn't stretch very far if it had to cover rent and food.

She patted my hand. "I'll take a look at the bulletin board in some shops to see if there are any rooms for rent."

"Thanks, Mum."

When she left, I curled my fingers in frustration. Not only did Todoroki have to worry about tracking Shigaraki, he'd soon be homeless if I didn't find him somewhere to stay.

If mum only knew what Todoroki had done for me Friday night, she'd probably let him move in for ever. But I couldn't tell mum – she'd be horrified if she knew I'd been attacked, even if she didn't know it was a villain who could literally turn you to dust by one touch. And I couldn't see any reason to put her through that.

I got up from the bed and went to look out the window. The sun had set, and darkness blanketed the streets except for the glow of the streetlights. Todoroki was out there looking for Shigaraki. I wished I could do something, anything, to help him. But like in BNHA, he chose to work alone.


	6. Chapter 6

Chapter Six

Monday morning passed by in a blur of classes and endless talk about the Villain killer. Everyone was freaked out that the two boys had been killed, but I kept silent, not wanting to reveal to anyone what I knew. I hadn't seen Todoroki in the apartment that morning, but I had a feeling he would have let me know somehow if he had caught Shigaraki.

At lunchtime, I met up with Uraraka and Ilda in the cafeteria line. On today's menu: noodles in a lumpy, ketchup-like sauce. Although lunch only cost ¥300, I was beginning to think we were being overcharged.

We snagged our usual spot at one end of a long folding table. Like everyone else at school, all Uraraka and Ilda wanted to talk about was the Villain killings. I was quiet, wrestling over whether or not I should tell my best friends about Todoroki. On the one hand, I felt like I had to – I confided in them about everything, and this was huge, life altering. On the other hand, I knew Todoroki wanted to fly under the radar as much as possible. If I told anyone the truth about him, there was a chance word would spread and Todoroki's presence here would get out.

"Usually there's safety in numbers," Uraraka said as she twirled the noodles around her fork. "Not any more. This guy somehow managed to attack two people at once."

Ilda looked doubtful. "It can't just be one person. Nobody's that strong."

No human, anyway. I flashed back to Friday night, felt the panic rise inside me, and squelched it.

"We should all stay inside after dark until this guy is caught," I cautioned them.

Uraraka lifted her chin. "I'm not letting this wannabe villain punk change how I live my life. Then he wins."

"It's not admitting defeat if people lay low for a while," I argued. "It's being smart. If we go out at night, we should all take cabs."

"I can't afford to do that for more than a week," Uraraka said. Her family's money situation wasn't so great. Her parents got by as construction workers, but there was that many other companies out there, they sometimes found it hard to get by. Still, Uraraka had a sweet summer job as a camp counsellor and usually came home with at least ¥30000 in the bank.

"Midoriya?"

I turned to see Ms Kayama, the office administrator, standing behind me. She looked peeved. "There's a young man in the office asking to see you. He says his name is Todoroki and that he is your fiancé. He's extremely insistent."

Todoroki was here? And what was he thinking, calling himself my fiancé?

Ilda gasped. "Fiancé?"

"Deku – what the –" Uraraka stammered.

Ms Kayama cut them off before they could ask any coherent questions. "Well?" she said to me. "Do you know who this person is, or should we call the police?"

"I know him." I shot Uraraka and Ilda an _I'll explain later look_ , then stood up and left the cafeteria.

I followed Ms Kayama down the hall towards the office. Todoroki's voice reached me before I got there.

"… and I assure you, Sir, that he will be quite happy to see me," he said sharply.

"Yes, but since he's under eighteen and you're not his parent, we can't let you speak to him without his permission," replied Mr Ishiyama, the office administrative assistant.

In the doorway, I said, "Hi, um, honey."

Todoroki turned to me, a satisfied look on his face, and then glanced back at Mr Ishiyama. "As you can see, my fiancé is delighted I am here."

Mr Ishiyama gave be a stern look, as if to say that the fiancé charade was not amusing. But mostly, he seemed relieved to have him off his back. "You need to wear this as long as you're in the building. School policy." He handed him a visitor's pass.

He took it and we left the office together. Since everyone was either in the lunchroom or in class, the halls were deserted.

"Try and be more polite next time, Todoroki," I whispered. "I thought you didn't want to attract attention." I noticed he was wearing one of the new T-shirts and the jeans we had bought together. At least he blended in, if you didn't count his hair. He carried a plastic grocery bag that appeared to contain a book.

"I was extremely polite."

"Well, in this world, you should try and tone it down. We don't use aggression to get what we want." I paused, realising that wasn't true for a lot of people. But still, it was true for me, and he was dragging me into this. "You shouldn't have told them you were my fiancé."

"I was going to use boyfriend, but figured if I said I was your fiancé, they would let me see you immediately." He shrugged.

"It just made you sound weird. Nobody my age gets married, plus people aren't used to seeing a gay couple." I shuttered at the thought.

"Why would it be weird to see a gay couple?"

"People don't take to kindly to people coming out as gay, trust me."

"Obviously I have much to learn about your world," Todoroki replied. "Sorry for the intrusion – I tried to reach you by phone, but it kept going to voicemail."

"I'm not allowed to have my phone turned on during school, they'll take it away. Next time you should text me."

"I'll know for next time, Midoriya."

"Let's see if we can find a private study room in the library. I know the librarian, so please be nice to him. Just follow my lead, ok?"

Mr Aizawa was perched on a stool behind the checkout desk. When he saw me, his eyes brighten – even if it wasn't noticeable. When he saw Todoroki, he couldn't hide his surprise.

Was it so surprising that I'd be with a hot guy? Yes, I suppose it was. And Todoroki was the kind of hot that simply didn't exist in this dimension.

"Hey, Aizawa. This is my friend Todoroki."

"Hello, sir." Todoroki gave a little nod.

Mr Aizawa seemed startled, but cautious, too. "Nice to meet you, Todoroki."

"Is there a study room free where we can hang out for a while?" I asked.

Mr Aizawa frowned slightly, and I hoped he didn't think we wanted a private place to make out. Not that that would be a bad thing.

"The room at the end is free," he said.

We headed to the study room at the end of the hall. Each room had several computers; sometimes classes came here to do research or get a library lesson. At lunchtime, students could book these rooms to work on projects or have club meetings.

I closed the door behind us, glad that we had privacy to talk. One of the walls was a window, so we could be seen by anyone who came to this end of the hall, but we couldn't be heard. We sat down across from each other at the centre table.

There were shadows under his eyes. I could tell he hadn't slept yet.

"You should go to bed, Todoroki."

"I will, don't worry. I came to tell you that I have finished reading volume two and had made a stunning discovery."

"What is it?"

He leaned closer to me. "In the first volume, Toshinori Yagi writes only one short section from Shigaraki's perspective, but in the second volume, he write serval. And in doing so, he has revealed something that could help me catch him." He took the manga from the bag and opened it to a page. I skimmed the page, then looked up at him, eyes wide.

"Shigaraki's equation of probabilities. You didn't know about it?" I asked, surprised.

"No, I don't think anyone in my world knows about it. All of these years I wondered what his strategy was for eluding capture from me and the other pros. I knew he had help from the league, but I never realise he was capable to use this to evade capture. Now that I know his theory, it may give me the upper hand."

I could've kicked myself. It hadn't occurred to me that there might be information in the manga series that Todoroki didn't know. I wondered, for the thousandth time, how it was possible that Toshinori Yagi knew the thoughts of the people in BNHA.

"That's amazing, but if Shigarak knows about the manga already?" I asked. "He's been here as long as you have, and might have seen an ad in a bookstore window. If he knows his formula is in the manga, he might not use it again. Or he might change it."

Todoroki nodded. "That is a distinct possibility. But knowing that he uses any formula at all helps me to understand how he thinks, and that may be the key. Now, if Shigaraki knows about the manga, we have more pressing problems on our hands: he knows about Toshinori Yagi."

My gut tightened. "You don't think he'll go after him?"

"He might. If Shigaraki is furious enough, there is no telling what he might do."

"But why would he be furious with him? Shigaraki likes attention. Maybe he'll love the idea of being famous in two worlds."

"Yagi's portrayal would infuriate him, for other reasons," he said. "He has not only revealed his probabilities equation, he has aired all his insecurities. He has described in detail, for instance, how little he trusts Dabi, one of the members from the league. And he revealed something that would make him angriest of all." He smiled. "He revealed that he fears me." He flipped to a page in the manga.

 _"He's here? The hero Shoto is here?" Shigaraki didn't want to admit, even to himself, the cold feeling that gnawed at him. It was one he was not accustomed to, and it was one he despised himself for having._ _He rather thought it was fear._

I looked up from the page, my mind racing. "We have to ward Toshinori Yagi."

"Yes."

"I just hope he'll listen to us."

"Take heart, Midoriya. I have every confidence that –"

His gaze flickered to the window. Uraraka and Ilda stood outside the room, chuckling.

I motioned for them to come in.

"Are you going to introduce us to your _fiancé_?" Uraraka asked as they walked in.

Todoroki got up from his chair and bowed.

Their eyebrows went up.

"I'm Uraraka." She shook his hand.

Ilda did, too, "Ilda."

"Delighted."

There was a tense silence.

Finally Uraraka said, "So how do you guys know each other?"

My mouth opened, but nothing came out. I hadn't expected Todoroki to show up at my school, so I hadn't thought up an explanation.

"We meant in the park over the weekend," Todoroki said smoothly, "While I was out running."

"Oh, yeah?" Ilda grinned. "Is that when you got engaged?"

Before Todoroki could say something weird, I answered, "Todoroki has a quirky sense of humour. The office staff didn't get the joke." I turned to him. "Thanks for stopping by. It was good to see you."

"And you." Taking the hint, he inclined his head to my friends, and left.

They held their hand over their mouths until he was out of range, then burst out laughing.

"What was that about, Deku?" Uraraka cried. "You didn't tell me you met a guy" he's gorgeous – total Todoroki Shoto look-alike! How old is he?"

"Eighteen." And would be nineteen on the eleventh of January, I didn't add. "I'm not dating him. We're getting to know each other as friends." Ilda frowned. "You've got to be careful. Did he really just come up to you in the park?"

"No, he was joking about that." The lie jumped into my head a second later. "He's a friend of my cousin."

"Oh, cool," Ilda said. "It's strange that he's already stopping by your school, though, isn't? Maybe he's a stalker."

Uraraka snorted. "A guy that good-looking can't be a stalker. Girls should be stalking him. It's neat that his name's Todoroki, don't you think? Just like Todoroki Shoto? Maybe it's destiny."

Fortunately, the bell rang, saving me from my friends' interrogation. For now, anyway.

As we walked towards the library doors, Mr Aizawa said, "Midoriya."

His tone stopped me in my tracks. "See you guys later." My friends kept going, and I turn back to Mr Aizawa.

"We need to talk," he said, with a seriousness that made me wonder what kind of trouble I was in. "Which class do you have now?"

"Geometry."

"I need a word with you. I'll tell your teacher that you're helping me and that you would be later to class."

As he made the phone call, I racked my brain. Why would he hold me back from going to class? This wasn't like him.

When he got off the phone, he lead me into his office behind the checkout desk and closed the glass door behind us.

"I know who he is."

"Wh-what do you mean?" I stuttered.

"I'll show you something. Please, don't take it personally. We do it for safety reasons." He sat down and rolled his chair up to the desk. The Musuatafu Board of Education website was open on the screen. He closed it and clicked on an icon called SECURITY. It opened up a folder with several options: HALLWAY#1, HALLWAY#2, and CENTRAL FOYER ….. All the way down to STUDY ROOM #4.

No way. This couldn't be happening.

He clicked on STUDY ROOM #4 and the screen filled with a black and white image of the room. There was a faint buzzing sound, indicating that there was audio.

He pushed back from the computer and swivelled his chair to face me. "I'm sorry I invaded your privacy, Midoriya. But there was something different about that young man, and I wanted to hear the first bit of your conversation to make sure things were ok in there. I heard everything."

What could I say? He must think I was involved in some crazy role-playing fantasy.

"You're really convinced he's Todoroki Shoto, aren't you?" Mr Aizawa asked.

"I know he is."

"I'll admit that the moment I saw him, I thought of Todoroki's picture in the manga." He sighed and folded his arms.

"What proof did he give you that he's Todoroki?"

I was momentarily fazed. Was he humouring me, or was he actually taking this seriously? "He has Todoroki's quirks, and it's not the sort of thing you can fake. And there's something else. Friday night, when I got off the bus, I was attacked. Todoroki saved my life. It was Shigaraki who attacked me."

He looked horrified – to horrified to be humouring me. I should be glad that he believed me, but I wasn't. What I wanted to hear him explain why none of this was real. Why Shigaraki couldn't possibly be here in Musuatafu killing innocent people.

"How do you know it was Shigaraki?"

"I caught a glimpse of his hair. And he would put all his fingers around my neck. It had to be him." At this point I was just rambling on, it felt like the words were coming from somewhere else, a calm place outside of myself, where I could talk about the attack without freaking out.

Mr Aizawa frowned. "And those boys who were killed – that was Shigaraki" It was more of a statement than a question.

"Yes. Todoroki knows for a fact that Shigaraki is here. He chased him across Hosu Bridge, and they ended up in our Musuatafu." I held my breath, still hoping that Aizawa would say something to explain all this away.

He was silent for a long time. "I told you that I did some graduate work, didn't I?"

I was startled be the change of topic. "You got a masters in physics."

"I might not have told you that I actually spent four years working on a PhD, but was asked to leave the programme."

"No, you didn't mention that."

"I was asked to leave because my studies took me to an area of research that academia wasn't ready for. An area I wasn't ready for, but one that compelled me, nonetheless: literary physics."

" _Literary physics_?"

"That's what I called it. I started out studying string theory, which is widely respected. String theory tells us that serval dimensions coexist simultaneously. And I asked myself if it were possible for someone in out dimension to tap into what's going on in another one. Then I realised that it may, in fact, already be happening – in our literature."

I was trying hard to follow him. "Wait a second. You're saying that manga and books are showing us what's going on in different dimensions? They're not really fiction?"

"Not all books and manga. Very few, most likely. But haven't you read manga that are labelled fiction, but have characters so real that you wondered if they might exist?"

"That's how BNHA made me feel. That's how it made me everyone feel."

"Exactly."

There was a noise outside, and we glanced towards the library doors. A harried teacher came in, corralling her students and barking at the, to keep their voices down.

"Unfortunately, I have a library session this period," Mr Aizawa said, "We'll continue this conversation later. Can you and Todoroki come over for dinner tonight?"

"I think so," I managed to reply.


	7. Chapter 7

Chapter Seven

A few minutes until sunset, I knocked on the door to the spare bedroom.

"Enter," he called.

I found Todoroki sitting on the bed, already dressed and pulling on his socks. He tidied his hair with several well-placed rakes of his hand.

"You're up already?"

"I've trained my body to wake up like clockwork at sunset."

"I hope you slept well."

He shrugged, not meeting my eyes. "Well enough."

I knew that Todoroki had was plagued by nightmares, and I'd bet he just had one.

"On Sunday, I had a nightmare about some Villains on my fire escape," I said, sitting down next to him. "In the dream, I actually let them in."

"The world of dreams is troubling that way." A haunted look flashed in his eyes. "You have no control."

He did elaborate, and I didn't push him.

"Mr Aizawa, the school librarian I introduced you to, knows who you are," I told him. "He overheard us. Turns out there are cameras and audio in the study room. Creepy, I know. Like _1984_."

"What happened in nineteen eighty-four?"

I kept forgetting that Todoroki didn't know much from this world. "It's the title of a book I read in English class last year. It's about the government using technology to watch everything people do."

"You don't think you are in the book _1984,_ do you, Midoriya?"

"No! You're the one from a book, not me."

"I was teasing you." A smile flashed across his handsome face.

"Oh." In the manga, Todoroki had only joked with his friend Yaoyorozu, and that was rare enough. "I guess I'm a little too on edge to get a joke. The whole situation scares me," I confessed.

"Good. Fear is a useful emotion for most people. It can save your life. Remember that."

"What about you? Is it a useful emotion for you?"

"Fear only saves your life if you're willing to run from your enemy." The haunted look returned to his eyes. "I ran from my father once, and I will never do it again."

"You were six years old."

"Yes. Logically I know that I was too young to do anything else."

 _Logically._ But I bet that, deep down, Todoroki still wondered if there was something he could have done to save his mother.

His despair was palpable, and I was tempted to reach over and touch his hand, but I held back.

"You were saying, about the librarian knowing who I am," he prompted.

"Right, I told him what happened, and he believed me. It turns out that he always thought something like this was possible."

"Indeed?"

"Yes. And he can help us make sense of it. We're going to his place for dinner. He's picking us up at seven." When I'd told Mum that Todoroki and I were going to Mr Aizawa's place for dinner, she was pleased. She must have though Mr Aizawa's good influence would lead Todoroki to pursue college or something.

"Alright, but I can't stay long. My job is to find Shigaraki before he kills again."

"Don't worry, we'll keep the visit short. You need to eat, anyway."

"Very well. I will defer to you on this occasion."

I had to smile. Shoto Todoroki deferring to me? Who'd have thought?

Fifteen minutes later, Mr Aizawa pulled up in his black Honda Civic. I got into the front seat, and Todoroki got into the back.

"Nice to see you again, Todoroki," Aizawa said, turning onto the road.

"Likewise, Mr Aizawa."

"Midoriya tells me you've come to us from BNHA Musuatafu." He used the same conversational tone you'd expect someone asking about your day.

"It seems so," he replied. "We don't call it BNHA, but it is indeed the place depicted in the manga."

"Do you find the manga accurate, then, in their portrayal of your world and its people?"

"Mostly, yes."

"Mostly?" I turned back to look at him, not knowing what he was talking about.

"Toshinori Yagi's reports on events in my world are undoubtedly true. But he makes some character judgements that I do not agree with."

"Are you referring to the way he portrays you?" Aizawa asked, glancing at him in the rear-view mirror.

"Yes." He shifted slightly in his seat, a clue that he was uncomfortable with the topic. "Although he does not say it outright, he clearly paints my character as misguided. A troubled soul bent on revenge."

"Do you have any idea how Toshinori Yagi knows so much about your world, Todoroki?" Aizawa asked.

"No. Midoriya said you have some ideas on what is happening."

"I do." He drove into his driveway. "See? Here already. Let's get a bite to eat and talk more."

We followed him inside. Aizawa's home was as odd as he was. I'd been here a few times before, since he had Uraraka, Ilda and me over for dinner whenever we stayed late to help with the library inventory.

After getting us glasses of lemonade, he put some beef sukiyaki on the table, along with a bowl of rice and vegetables.

"Dig in."

Once we were all a few bites in, Aizawa said, "Tell me, do wither of you kow anything about quantum physics?"

We shook our heads.

"Quantum physics was my area of study back in graduate school." Aizawa said toyed with his sukiyaki to let the steam out. "It's the area of physics that studies the most fundamental level of existence – the quantum level. According to quantum theory, it is impossible to measure both the position and direction of any given particle."

The idea sounded familiar. "I heard something about that in physics class." Unfortunately, I didn't always understand it.

"I believe that particles are, in fact, 'jumping world'; that is to say, subatomic particles are actually jumping back and forth between universes – or dimensions, if you prefer."

It was strange to hear Aizawa talking this way. I knew he was really smart, but all this quantum physics was over my head.

"Wait a minute," Todoroki said, holding up his hand to slow him down. "By dimensions, you mean two worlds unfolding simultaneously?"

"Yes," Aizawa said, rubbing his eyes. "The number of dimensions out there is infinite. And because particles are jumping from one universe to another, many of these dimensions are remarkably similar to our own. But in your dimension, Todoroki, there are heroes and villains, and in ours there are not."

"The theory is plausible, but can you explain why Toshinori Yagi knows what is going on in my dimension?" Todoroki asked. "Do you think he's found a way to travel between dimensions?"

Aizawa shook his head. "I doubt that. I think some people are able to tap into parallel dimensions and write about them, often without knowing they are doing so. That is the essence of literary physics."

Todoroki frowned. "You're saying that Toshinori Yagi thinks he's making my world up, but is really seeing it?"

"Exactly. Other authors are potentially doing the same."

I tried to grasp this. So Toshinori Yagi didn't realise what he was doing? I couldn't wait until we could ask him in person.

"How is it possible that I crossed into this world?" Todoroki asked.

Aizawa took a drink of lemonade, looking thoughtful. "I would guess you were able to cross over in much the same way as subatomic particles. There must be a portal somewhere. The magnetic field of the portal kept your molecular structure intact. It's really quite amazing. Do you remember feeling an electrical surge when you were chasing Shigaraki across the bridge?"

"I don't think so, but I was full of adrenaline."

"If you retrace your steps, you might be able to find it again. I'll see if I can get my hands on a magnetic sensor for you. I still have some friends in the lab at U of A. the sensor should help you locate it, if it's still there."

"We're worried that Shigaraki might go after Toshinori Yagi," I told him. "He's revealed things about him that he wouldn't want anyone to know."

Aizawa nodded gravely. "I hadn't thought of that. Even if he weren't angered by the books, there's a chance he'll try to track him down, thinking he knows a way back to BNHA."

"He has a book signing on Saturday in Hosu, and we're going to try to talk to him," I said.

"Good idea. I'll drive you. And if we're able to talk to him, I'll do what I can to lend some credibility to your story."

"Once he sees me, he will have all of the proof he needs," Todoroki said.

But I wasn't so sure.


	8. Chapter 8

The next morning, I stopped into the library before my first class. President Mic, the music teacher, was standing in Aizawa's spot.

"Is he ok?" I asked alarmed.

President Mic smiled, obviously touched by my concern. "He's under the weather today. He said he'll probably be back tomorrow."

"Thanks." As I headed to my first class, I realised I should've expected that Aizawa would take the day off. He must have been helping Todoroki strategize. Last night, he'd offered his spare room and any resources he had to help him track down Shigaraki. I was relieved that he was going to stay with him. First of all, it would get Mum to stop asking so many questions about Todoroki – I could tell her he found a place to stay. Plus, with all his knowledge, Aizawa would be more help to Todoroki than I could ever be. Which isn't to say I wouldn't miss waking up and finding Todoroki Shoto in my home.

In Bio, Uraraka asked, "Where'd you go last night? Did you get my message?"

I already had the lie prepared. "I went to Starbucks and some other coffee shops to give out some résumés. I didn't get your message until it was too late to call back." Guilt knotted inside me. I so wanted to tell Uraraka the truth, as well as Ilda, but last night Aizawa, Todoroki, and I had all agreed that Todoroki's presence in this world had to be kept a secret. If word got out, the attention he would get could jeopardize his mission to stop Shigaraki.

It was too bad, though, because I knew I could trust Ilda with anything. Uraraka was a different story. She would never tell deliberately, but she had a way of letting things slip.

"I thought maybe you had a hot date with that Todoroki guy," Uraraka said, grinning.

I wish. "We're just friends."

"Right now, you are," Uraraka teased. "I saw the way he looked at you. He totally has a crush on you."

I laughed – no, giggled. "You dreamed that up."

"I'm serious! I think he could be the one, Deku."

By "the one", I knew that she meant my first boyfriend.

"Ha! You're blushing." Uraraka's brown eyes sparkled.

"No, I'm not," I protested, feeling my face get hotter by the minute.

"Don't be embarrassed. It'll work out. He wouldn't have stopped by your school if he wasn't interested." She winked. "Hey, did you hear that Toshinori Yagi's going to be on the evening news Thursday night?"

I shook my head, surprised. Toshinori Yagi rarely did interviews. "Are you sure?"

"Yep. They announced it on the News this morning. Apparently he's been under pressure to speak out since the odd killings are so similar to his manga."

"None of this is his fault. But I'm sure they'll give him a hard time."

"Exactly. It's stupid, if you ask me. No BNHA fan would do something like that. The manga is deep and emotional." She hesitated, "Psychotic killers wouldn't be into that stuff, would they?"

"You never know. Maybe some guy wants to be like Shigaraki. We should be really careful."

Uraraka shuddered. "You're creeping me out."

If only she knew.

Since I didn't want to risk waking Todoroki, I waited until sunset to call Aizawa. By the time I called, he had already gone out on the search for Shigaraki. Aizawa told me he spent the morning teaching Todoroki to drive, since they both agreed that he could move faster around the city that way.

Aizawa was back to school the next day, but had nothing new to report. Todoroki was no closer to finding Shigaraki, despite using Shigaraki's equation of probabilities. We all knew what that could mean: Shigaraki had read the manga, too.

And possibly Toshinori Yagi was possible in serious danger.

I kept feeling like I was waiting. Waiting for an update from Aizawa. Waiting for news of more murders. Waiting for something to change.

I hadn't realised I'd been waiting to hear from Todoroki himself until he called me before school on Thursday.

"Good morning," he said.

The sound of his voice made my heart race. "Hi. How are you?"

"I am well." There was silence for several seconds. "I was wondering if you would like to accompany me for dinner later this afternoon."

My pulse kicked up. It almost sounded like a date, although it was silly to think that Todoroki would have the inclination to date these days, and not to forget the fact that we are both guys.

"Sure."

"Is four thirty convenient for you?"

"Yeah, that's fine."

"Excellent. Until then." He hung up.

The day passed all too slowly. Everybody was talking about the Evening Report interview that night and what Yoshinori Yagi might say. Would he deny that his work could have inspired someone to kill? Or would he look directly into the camera and appeal to the killer to turn himself in?

When I got home from school, I went to my bedroom to start getting ready. Todoroki would be picking me up in half an hour, and I wanted to look good. I kept the same faded jeans on but changed into a plum-coloured button up shirt. I tried to style my hair, then decided it was ok the way it was. The last thing I wanted was for Todoroki to think that I was trying to impress him. But he was Shoto Todoroki, and I was, well, human.

I figured I'd wait for him in the lobby. At 4:25, I went into the living room to leave a note for my mum, telling her that I won't be home for dinner and that I should be back in a couple of hours.

Stepping out of the elevator, I saw Aizawa's black Honda Civic waiting out front. Todoroki got out and opened the passenger side door for me.

"You look quite refreshed, Midoriya."

"Thanks." He had just paid me a compliment?

The car radio was pumping classical music. He turned it down when he slid into the driver's seat. Todoroki drove carefully, and not a mile above the speed limit. "Aizawa informed me on how to avoid getting caught without a licence,"

That made me nervous. "It's unlikely you'll get pulled over, but sometimes random people get stopped."

"If that happens, I can only hope my new running shoes will help me evade the police."

I looked down and saw he was wearing the sneakers. I smiled.

We drifted into silence for a couple of minutes. I watched the city flit by the window, drenched in the late afternoon sun. It was strange being in such a confined space with Todoroki. Like the air was crackling with electricity. It was probably just me.

I cleared my throat. "Any leads on Shigaraki?"

"I have spoken to people who may have seen him in the downtown core. I would not be surprised if he struck there next. But that tells me nothing, of course, about where his hideout is located."

"At least he hasn't killed again."

I saw a muscle bunch in his jaw. "We can't be sure of that. He could easily have hid his victims."

My heart sank.

"Maybe he went back," I said vocalizing the thought as it came to me. "Maybe he knows about the portal and can travel back and forth. He could've led you here just to get you out of his way."

"That is a possibility. But my intuition says he's still here."

Intuition. In the manga, it was given as much weight as science. And Todoroki's intuition never seemed to lead him astray.

Within a few minutes, Todoroki had parked at the kerb next to a Japanese restaurant called Genji.

"Will this restaurant be satisfactory for you?" he asked, unbuckling his seat belt. "Aizawa recommended it."

"Sure. I love Katsudon, what about you?"

"I am more of a Zaru Soba guy," he replied with a small smile.

We went inside. The restaurant's décor was minimalist, with small white tables separated by Japanese screens. Although our table was in the centre of the restaurant, the screens made it feel private. If I pushed my chair back a little, I could see the sushi chefs in the kitchen. Todoroki positioned himself so that he could see the front door. I figured it was a force of habit, always on guard.

As if following my thoughts, he said, "I will have you home by sunset."

"About that, I was thinking –" I paused when a waitress came to fill our glasses with water. She asked if we would like something else to drink, and we both shook our heads. With his fork, Todoroki removed the lime from his water and placed it on the table.

"I was thinking I could help you," I finished. When he looked at me quizzically, I hurried on, "Another pair of eyes would be helpful, don't you think? I feel useless hiding at home while you're out there looking for him."

For a second, he looked like he was going to laugh, but then he saw that I was serious and he grew solemn as well. "You can't help, Midoriya. Put that foolishness out of your head. You'd be nothing but a liability."

There it was: Todoroki's trademark frankness. In the manga, I'd found it refreshing; I could only imagine the freedom of being able to say exactly what I wanted. It wasn't so refreshing now that it was directed at me.

I wasn't going down without a fight. I took a long sip of water and faced Todoroki again. "Earlier you said you've been questioning some people on the street about Shigaraki. I could help with that."

His expression darkened. "We are talking about a villain, with a deadly quirk, not some hooligan. I will not endanger your life just so you can feel useful."

If he'd put it more tactfully, I might have been touched that he cared.

"It is only a matter of time before Shigaraki finds out that I've been asking questions about him," Todoroki went on. "What if he was to find out that a quirkless guy was with me? Who would be the easier target?"

"I see your point, but I wouldn't be wearing a name tag."

"True, but you must not underestimate Shigaraki. If he wanted to find you, he could. And I am not willing to take that risk."

I sighed. "I guess you're right."

"I am right. But I will say this, Midoriya. You're brave for a quirkless kid."

"For a quirkless kid?"

He cracked a smile, then started laughing.

I couldn't believe it. He was teasing me. Again.

Wasn't he too busy carrying the weight of the world on his shoulders to joke around? Obviously not. I couldn't help laughing, too.

When our laugher subsided, we looked at each other, and there it was – a glimpse of the Shoto Todoroki beneath. The only one I'd always suspected was there. The one who was just an ordinary teenage guy.

Then he looked away, and his face closed again.

He ordered Zaru Soba, with a side of sticky rice. I chose my favourite, Katsudon.

"I guess Aizawa told you that Toshinori Yagi's going to be on the news tonight," I said. "Are you going to watch it?"

"No. I will be out searching for Shigaraki by then. But I am intrigued to hear what he will say about the killings."

"Me, too."

When we got the food, Todoroki veered the conversation away from anything villains and onto my Musutafu. He wanted to know how our technology differs from his, what the police were like…. That was just the beginning. I was embarrassed that I couldn't supply more answers, but I tried my best.

"You've got a lot of questions," I said, polishing off my Katsudon – it was so tasty. "Are you thinking on of running for the number one hero of BN—of Musuatafu one day?"

"Number one hero? If the public choose to see me that way, then that's down to them. I merely want to stop the villains and prove my father wrong, nothing else."

In the Manga, Toshinori Yagi hadn't discussed much of what Todoroki wanted to do after he caught Shigaraki. The more I spent time with him, the more sides of him I saw. And I felt so excited – privileged even – to be getting to know him.

"Your world is so fascinating to me, Midoriya. I couldn't imagine what it would be like without people not having quirks. It is remarkable."

"It's nice that you think that, Todoroki. A lot of fans wish that they could live in your world. I will admit to being among them."

"That's ridiculous. You are all extremely fortunate." He gestured with his chopsticks around the room, as if encompassing everyone. "Your people have never had to contend with villains – at least, not until recently. You aren't expected to train day and night to become the best. To be depended on to save another life. A fairly competent police force, from what I have seen, what more can anyone want?"

His eyes were bright with passion, and a wave of sadness came over me. In my world, a guy his age would probably be going to college, partying, dating. Todoroki didn't have those luxuries.

He spent most of his life conditioning himself physically and mental to become the best hero, despite his father. Since joining the academy he has been seen as the son of the second hero, Endeavour.

One thing he did have was purpose. He had devoted himself to catching Shigaraki Tomura, who posed a threat to his city. Part of me envied that he didn't have the confusion of wondering what to do with his life. But another part of me thought that confusion was an important part of growing up.

We was right that the people of my world were lucky. Suddenly all my complaints about my city, my school, my life, my non-existent father, seemed trivial next to what the people of his world had to deal with.

No wonder Todoroki thought that if one of our worlds was unbelievable, it was mine.

As Todoroki drove me home, the sun dipped behind the clouds, streaking the sky orange—pink. I wasn't ready to leave his company, but I knew he planned to have me inside before his night of tracking began.

Todoroki stopped the car in front of my building. "Thank you for having dinner with me."

"You're welcome. I'll see you Saturday for the signing. If you need anything, call me. I'll have my phone on all the time, except when I'm in class."

"I have one too," he said, pulling it out of his pocked proudly. "Aizawa felt it was necessary."

I grinned at the sight of Todoroki holding a phone. "Great, then you can send me a text message," I said. "I'll send myself a message to get you're number."

His phone was black and sleek, and much newer than mine. I clicked on his contact list. My phone number was programmed in, along with Aizawa's phone, work and home numbers. I clicked on my name and shot a quick text saying 'Hello ' and pressed send.

"There, it's sent." I said just as my phone buzzed in my pocket. Without realizing, I had inched closer to Todoroki who was staring at my face as I looked up from the phone. I hope I didn't have any soy sauce on my face.

"Are you ok, Todoroki?"

"Yes, Yes, of course." He gave his head a little shake and took back his phone. Taking out my phone, I quickly texted him back, 'Hi Todoroki, and sent it, saving his number to my contact list. His phone beeped. He opened it and pressed a button to access the message. After reading it, he gave me a small smile and put his phone back into his pocket.

Todoroki looked back to me, his eyes diffing over my face, and I wondered if he was about to say something else. Then he seemed to snap to alertness. "Let me walk you inside."

I found my keys and got out of the car. He entered the building with me.

"I will contact you tomorrow. Goodnight, Midoriya." And he strode out the door before I could plead with him to be careful.


	9. Chapter 9

Later that night, the _Evening News_ introduction came across the screen.

"Good evening," the broadcaster said in his deep baritone. "Tonight on Evening News: one of the most popular manga writers of our time sits down with Miss Lady…"

I settled back of the sofa as Toshinori Yagi's bio came on. I knew all of it already, being the big fanboy I am. He was forty-three years old and had "dabbled in writing since he was a child. Studied creative writing and art in college and taught high school English. He never married and spent years juggling teaching and writing, before getting his first manga series published five years ago.

Not an unusual author bio. Nothing about psychic abilities or BNHA channelling.

Next the camera settled on Toshinori Yagi, a very skinny man with angular features and long limbs in a stylish navy suit, spiky and dishevelled with two bangs framing the sides of his face. He had the look of wealth and success and intelligence. But something about his eyes looked wary, even nervous.

The interview would be an hour long (with commercials, of course). I doubt they'd bring up the villain killings controversy just yet – they'd hold their audience if they waited until later.

The first question had my ears perked right away.

Miss Lady: "How did you come up with the idea for the _Boku No Hero Academia_ series?"

Toshinori Yagi: "I know this is a terrible answer, but I have no idea how I came up with it. I hadn't been planning on writing a _Hero vs Villain_ manga – the market seemed full enough with the superhero type already. But BNHA and its characters just appeared in my head one day, and over the next few weeks, I couldn't seem to get rid of them."

He shifted in his seat, more a nervous thing than necessity. "It didn't feel like I was creating BNHA. It felt like I was looking in on what was happening there. I know some writers hate it when I say that, but it was all a very intuitive process."

Wow. Toshinori Yagi's explanation fit perfectly with Aizawa's theory: the author was watching the events in BNHA rather than making them up.

Miss Lady: "Even though the series is meant for teens, your characters resonate with people of all ages. How did you manage that?"

Toshinori Yagi: "I'm not sure. Momo Yaoyorozu appeared in my head, this gorgeous young woman who lived in a frightening yet exciting world.

I connected with her instantly. Her heartache for Todoroki, a handsome young man, and eventually through Yaoyorozu that I met all the other characters, and eventually they started speaking to me directly, which is why I switched viewpoints. You could say the books developed organically. I would just sit down at my computer and watch events in Boku no Hero Academia unfold."

Hmm. Interesting that he'd accessed BNHA through Yaoyorozu. That was natural, I suppose, since Yaoyorozu was a kinder, more idealistic character who wore her emotions on her sleeve. Todoroki, on the other hand, was reserved. You had to look twice as hard and listen twice as closely to know what he was thinking.

No wonder most readers gravitated to Yaoyorozu.

The interview was interrupted by too many commercials.

Footage of Toshinori Yagi at book signings was interspersed throughout, making me think he'd probably only sat down with Miss Lady for all of twenty minutes. Finally, the interviewer edged closer to the topic everyone was waiting for: the Quirk like murders.

Miss Lady: "Some are saying that your books have fostered a certain fascination with the occult and villainess. How do you react to that?"

Toshinori Yagi: "My writing is pure fantasy, and should never be taking more than that. Stories of any number of imaginativeness have been around since cavemen huddled in front of fires. My books are meant as entertainment, nothing more."

Miss Lady: "What would you say to those who criticize you for glamorizing villain culture?"

The author twitched. I could tell that got her back up.

Toshinori Yagi: "First of all, I don't think the villains in these books are glamorized. Tomura Shigaraki, he's a sociopath. I don't think anyone would want to emulate him."

Miss Lady: "But it appears someone is doing just that. Two teenage boys were killed in Musuatafu last weekend by someone, or more than one person, imitating a villain. Your second manga, BNHA: Volume Two, came out just one week prior. Do you think it's a coincidence?"

Toshinori Yagi: "I don't know. I honestly don't know."

Miss Lady: "If whoever committed these murders is watching now, what would you say to them?"

The camera zeroed in on Toshinori Yagi's face. It was a brilliant, heart-stopping moment. Suddenly he looked more like a deer in headlights than a handsome author.

Toshinori Yagi: "I'd tell him to turn himself in . . . so that he can get the psychological help he needs."

Shigaraki would not like hearing that. Not one bit.

The next day Uraraka and Iida were buzzing about the Evening Report interview. My stomach kept flip-flopping as I thought of the book signing. I felt awful that I hadn't told my friends about it. They'd be so jealous if they knew I was going to meet Toshinori Yagi.

The plan was for Aizawa and Todoroki to pick me up on Saturday morning at four thirty. If we didn't get slowed down too much by rush-hour traffic, we would be otside Hosu by the late afternoon. Since the book signing was at seven, we knew we wouldn't be able to get a legitimate place in line – we'd probably have to camp out for that – but we figured it would give Todoroki enough time to find a way in.

When I got home from school, I kicked my shoes off and headed to the kitchen to grab a snack. I rummaged through the cupboards not finding anything but some crackers and tins of soup. I grabbed an apple from the fridge then the handful of the crackers and headed to the computer.

So this is what writer's block feels like.

Two hours later, I was still staring at the computer screen. I thought that with Shoto Todoroki in my world, my fan fiction would flow like never before. Talk about wrong.

Now that I knew BNHA was real, I couldn't go there anymore. Whenever I open one of the manga's for inspiration, all I saw was cold, dark reality. Forget it. I'd try again another time.

I went into the kitchen, where Mum was making homemade mac and cheese. I knew it was her favourite comfort food because she tended to make it on Friday nights when she was staying in, and often with accompanied it with a glass of wine.

"Smells good." I gave her a kiss. "How was work?"

"It was busy as usual." I could tell she was tired and stressed out, pulling over time to keep us going. Mum and I had dinner at the kitchen table. It was just as well as Uraraka and Iida were busy tonight – Iida had a hockey game and Uraraka was rehearing for a play next month – because I was too distracted to do much socializing. I listened to Mum as she told me about the latest drama at work and I reminded her that I was going to Hosu super-early tomorrow morning for the Toshinori Yagi signing, and Mum reminded me to call her when I arrived.

A few minutes after curfew, Uraraka called.

"H-hey Deku, I need your help." I heard through the noise in the background. "I'm uhh, can you please help?"

"Sure Uraraka, where are you?" I was a little worried as I had never heard her sound so small before. I had almost missed it when she mentioned Bakugou's name then the call abruptly ended.

Knowing that Bakugou was famous for throwing parties when his parents were out of the house I came to the conclusion that, that's where Uraraka was. After considering the pros and cons of heading out by myself to Bakugou's house I decided to give Todoroki a call.

He answered quickly, "Is everything alright?" I could hear traffic behind him.

"My friend, Uraraka called me, she seemed a bit out of it on the phone and it sounded like she was at a party, I'm a bit worried. Where are you?"

"Fifteen minutes from your apartment. I'll be right there. Wait for me inside." He hung up.

I breathed a sigh of relief, and then headed into the living room. I left a note for my Mum in case she hears me leaving then headed out to the lobby to wait for Todoroki.

When I got into the car a few minutes later, Todoroki asked, "Do you know where she is?"

"I'm pretty sure she's at a party on Campbell Street, it's not that far from here"

"I know where that is. Do you have any reason to believe she's in danger?"

"Maybe. I have never heard her like that before and she's never gone to one of these parties either, I want to make sure she's ok and gets home safe. I hope I wasn't disturbing. . ."

"I didn't have Shigaraki in my sights," he said quietly.

As he drove, I had the strange realization that I'd missed him, even though I'd just seen him yesterday. Is that what love is, I wondered? When you want to be with someone every moment? The thought startled me. I'd fallen in love for the character Shoto Todoroki, not the guy himself . . . right?

Within ten minutes, he'd turned on to Campbell Street.

"It's a big white two-storey. There it is. Two down on the left." I'd help Uraraka deliver papers in this area a few times as well as running around with Bakugou when we were younger.

Bakugou's house was the biggest on one the block, and there'd always seemed to be a party going on.

The driveway was full of cars, so he parked a couple houses down.

"I'll run in," I said. "It might take a few minutes to find her."

"I would like to come in as well."

I thought about it, and figured I could use the backup if anyone gave me a hard time. "Fine, but be nice, ok?"

"Of course."

We walked up to the front door and rang the doorbell. Nobody answered, probably because they couldn't hear it above the blaring music. I tried the handle, and the door opened.

The house was pretty dark and bursting with people. Red bulbs must have been put in the lamps, a pitiful excuse for atmosphere.

"Do you see her?" Todoroki shouted in my ear.

I ducked my head into the living room, looking around. "I don't think so."

He let me lead. I squeezed through the people crowding the hallway. He took my hand and squeezed through after me. At the feel of his hand on mine, a giddy feeling swept through me. For a second, I let myself imagine what it would be like to be going to a party with Todoroki as my boyfriend.

There were sweaty people everywhere, and I tried not to touch them as I moved forward. I glanced back to see Todoroki, whose lips where pursed with distain. Definitely not his sort of party.

I figured we'd check the basement, the upstairs bedrooms. If we could even get through. There was a mass of people blocking the basement stairs, and no one paid attention to my "Excuse me!"s.

Then Todoroki stepped in front of me. With two big sweeps of his arms, he pushed everyone out of the way. Startled partiers stumbled back, falling over one another

Some kid said, "Hey! What was that?"

Todoroki glared at him. The kid cowered.

Taking my hand again, Todoroki led me down the stairs.

The basement was even darker than upstairs, and it took my eyes a few seconds to adjust.

I walked up to one of the sofas, scanning the people, catching sight of her short brown hair. There she was, in a darkened corner. A guy was kissing her.

"Uraraka!"

She jumped. I recognised the guy, and froze. It was Bakugou Katsuki.

"She's drunk, Kacchan," I said, after shaking my head.

He shrugged. "So, nerd?"

I felt something hard shove past me. It was Todoroki. He grabbed Uraraka's hand and yanked her to her feet. "Time to go home, Uraraka."

Bakugou got to his feet and walked away. "Tch, whatever"

I held on to Uraraka's arm and followed Todoroki up the stairs and out the front door.

She slid into the back seat of the car. "So are you actually dating Deku?"

I almost laughed. She was trying to change the subject before it even came up, but still wanted an update on my love life.

Before I could answer, Todoroki said, "We have mutual admiration for each other, I hope."

I glanced at Todoroki, my stomach somersaulting, then glanced at the road ahead.

"Mutual admiration?" Uraraka giggled "What does that even mean?"

"It means we have a lot in common," I said quickly.

"Oh, I get it. Does this mean he's gay too?"

I froze for the second time that night. Thanks, Uraraka. I didn't want him to know just yet. And I also wanted to be the one to tell him. Not have my drunken best friend out me like this. I want to cry.

"It does," Todoroki replied. "But I think that should have been a discussion between me and Midoriya."

It was an awkward drive to Uraraka's house, to say the least. The only sounds in the car were Uraraka's occasional hiccups or drunken gibberish.

Todoroki is gay. I wasn't naïve enough to think I had a chance. But, oh damn. I couldn't deny the rush of pleasure I felt each time I remembered his words.

When we got home, I turned to Todoroki. "Thank you for helping me with Uraraka."

There was a strange look in his eyes, almost like a question. And then he smiled. "At your service."


End file.
